1. Field of the Invention
Archimedes of Syracuse, in Archimedes Principle, stated that the Buoyant force on an object wholly or partially immersed in a fluid at rest is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
De Shon""s Corollary to Archimedes Principle is that an engine may be constructed which utilizes the Buoyant Force to produce power through the ascent of gas within an engine. Basically a Buoyancy Engine is a corollary of a Gravity Engine.
A Gravity Engines Such as the Waterwheel Uses the Force of Gravity.
Water is captured in the vanes of the wheel.
Gravity drags the water down in the wheel, imparting rotation to the axle.
The force of rotation is dependent upon the volume of water introduced into the wheel.
Water weighs sixty-two pounds per cubic foot.
A Buoyancy Engine Uses the Force of Buoyancy.
Compressed gas is captured in the vanes of the wheel, displacing the water.
The buoyant force drags the air upward in the wheel, imparting rotation to the axle. The force of rotation is dependent upon the volume of the water which is displaced by the gas introduced into the wheel.
A cubic foot of gas displaces a cubic foot of water, which weighs sixty-two pounds, and provides that amount of Buoyant Lift.
This invention relates generally to buoyancy engines, and, more particularly, to ones which are disposed in liquid filled vessels, and are powered by excess compressed air or gas as a result of industrial processes. Buoyant gas is captured in the apparatus, which rotates a generator to convert the buoyant energy into electricity
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been various designs for buoyancy engines which show alternative approaches to capturing a gas in a liquid environment.
But, none have addressed the employment of a buoyancy engines to provide cogeneration from the input of excess compressed gas from industrial processes.
The invention is a buoyancy engine, comprised of a plurality of gas holding spaces incorporated into a ring attached to a driveshaft which is supported on sealed bearings in the walls of a vessel which is filled with a liquid. Compressed air or other gases resulting from industrial processes is injected into the vessel and is introduced into the gas holding spaces at the 180 degree position of the ring. The gas holding spaces, filled sequentially with gas, ascend due to buoyant force, and impart a rotary motion to the driveshaft, which drives the electric generator attached to the other end of the driveshaft producing electricity. The gas holding spaces release the gas contained as they pass through the 360 degree positon. The ring and arms are sheathed with a hydrodynamically styled skin to reduce friction in the apparatus. All components are designed of materials resistant to heat and corrosion.
It is an object of the invention to provide stacked buoyancy engines of this character which capitalize on the buoyant power in gases produced as a by-product of industrial processes and which capturesthese gases in the gas holding spaces of a rotable ring to provide power to generate electricity by rotating an electric generator or other desired use, such as a pump. The gases, having done their work in the initial engine are directed into subsequent buoyancy engines mounted so as to multiply the total output of the system. Additionally, subsequent engines are sized so as to be able to capture the increasing volume of the gas as it ascends through the water.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of this character that is simple in construction and operation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide apparatus of this character that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.